Kayak Eddy Skills and Surfing
Sunday, April 20, 2008, 9:00am to late afternoon
Location: Winnebago River, Mason City – dependent on water levels and resulting eddy lines and waves
Start time: 9:00am (waste water treatment plant access on the Winnebago River)
On water time: 10:00am to sometime in the afternoon
Possibly some videoing and video critiquing: after water or interspersed on water
Finish time: late afternoon
Class size: limited to 10 students
Skills and drills to be worked on: body weight location and posture (center of gravity versus center of buoyancy, cheek weighting, deck weighting, paddle weighting), edging versus leaning, torso rotation (separation of the upper and lower body), joint safety (box, flex), moving the boat versus the paddle, forward strokes, back strokes, sweep strokes (components, spinning versus carving), draw strokes (static, dynamic, bow, stern, open, closed, neutral, water pressure and blade faces), cross bow draw, compound back stroke, turns (initiate on the outside, control from the inside, stroke recovery), bracing (blade faces and elbows, sculling braces, balance on edge, minimize paddle weighting), reading moving water (and more reading water including your effects on moving water), use of the strokes in moving water, vision, ferrying (purposes, targets, angles, forward, back), side slipping, pillows, unbroaching, lots of eddy work (eddy lines, eddy currents, entering techniques, leaving techniques, edging versus leaning, stern squirts), lots of wave work (reading, targeting, getting on waves – catch on the fly versus access eddy, vision, carving on waves, looking, weight shifts, edges, spinning on waves, fast ferries using waves), upstream attainments, possibly some friendly wave-hole work
Main emphasis: surfing
Costs: Iowa Whitewater Coalition paid members $60 (membership is $20/year)
ISU Kayak Club paid members $60 (membership is $25/semester, $40/year)
Members of IWC and ISUKC $50
No membership in either IWC or ISUKC $100
Equipment needed: your own food (snacks, lunch, liquids), suitable paddling gear for air and water temperatures (dress for getting wet, have towels and dry clothes for after), helmet, suitable personal flotation device (pfd), kayak paddle, whitewater kayak with fitting spray skirt (“old school” displacement hulls, “new school” planing hulls, park and play, free running, river running, and creeking designs all equally acceptable)
Skills needed to take the class: moving water roll, ability to strongly paddle your kayak along a desired path in moving water, edge awareness and some edge control, pool session (class or regular 2 hour session) highly recommended
Deadlines: registration and fees are due 2 weeks before each class. All but $5 are refundable prior to 2 weeks before each class, and are non-refundable after 2 weeks before each class. Full refunds if class is cancelled due to weather or adverse water levels.
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